Fighting Without Initiative
Summary Rather than the fight proceeding in turns, players and monsters act whenever they deem appropriate. Players can act to start an attack, react to one, or do anything else they can conceive, but must overturn an act card '''each time they do. Nitty-Gritty When a fight breaks out, each player puts their '''act cards into play; you have a number of act cards equal to your proficiency bonus. You may spend these act cards as you please, but no player can spend two of them consecutively unless a rule or ability states they can. Once the number of face-up act cards is less than the number of players at the table (not including the Dungeon Master) and no player has more than one act card remaining, all players flip their cards face-up. If an effect is preventing a character from taking actions and spending act cards, do not count their face-up cards towards this total. You must flip an act card over if you wish to take an action, or reaction. Each time you flip an act card over to do so, you may move and take a bonus action for free as a part of that action or reaction. If you wish to move or take a bonus action without it being part of an action or reaction, you must flip an act card over. Rules Changes Because so many of the effects and abilities in Dungeons & Dragons are reliant on the turn-based system, changes made to the rules to facilitate this new fighting style will be documented here. I wrote the ones I thought would be important, and will write whatever comes up during play later. Length of Effects If an effect lasts '''until the start of your next turn, '''it lasts until the next time you act or flip your cards face-up. If an effect lasts '''until the end of your next turn, '''it lasts until the next time you finish an act or flip your cards face-up. If an effect lasts '''a minute, '''it lasts until the end of the current engagement. Unconsciousness and Death Saving Throws When you are knocked unconscious, flip all your act cards face-down. Don't flip your cards face-up with the rest of the players until you aren't unconscious anymore. Under these rules, you are not required to make death saving throws. If you are knocked down in a fight and want to risk it to get back into the action, however, '''you can try to get up. '''When you do this, roll a d20, using all eligible bonuses to saving throws and ability checks (e.g. the ''Bless ''spell, Bardic Inspiration, a paladin's aura). On a failure (9 or less), you cannot stand and must mark a failure on your death saving throws. On a partial success (10 through 16), you get up. You still have 0 hit points and may flip up to 2 act cards face-up, marking a failure on your death saving throws for each one. For as long as your hit points remain at 0, you must roll a d20 each time you finish an act, flipping all of your act cards face-down on a 9 or less. If you take damage in this state, you lose consciousness again and must mark a failure on your death saving throws. On a full success (17 or more), you get up. You regain 1 hit point, and may flip up to 2 act cards face-up. Action Surge When you use ''Action Surge, ''flip all of your act cards face-up. Once before the next time you run out of act cards, you may spend two of them consecutively. Natural Explorer Instead of gaining advantage on initiative rolls, you don’t need to flip over an act card the first time you act in a fight.